swirling in stardust
by just drifting
Summary: "You do know what an electronic control weapon does to your body, Sawyer?" Alex sighs, clearly exasperated, but her glare is a lot cuter than it is threatening. "Yeah, Danvers, this isn't my first rodeo." [Missing scene from 2x04, after Alex and Maggie fight the brovac and Maggie is hurt.]


Maggie's eyes fly open, and the first thing she sees is the concerned, anxious face of Alex Danvers hovering over hers. She is struck, just for a moment, by how truly stunning Alex is: backlit by the dark, cloudless sky above them, Maggie can't look away from her gleaming pale skin and deep, luminous eyes. It's not her fault, really; her head is still fuzzy from being knocked unconscious, and the dizzy feeling certainly isn't helped by the distractingly pretty woman stooped far too close to her.

The first thing Maggie feels is Alex's hand tracing soft patterns over her wrist. She would like to enjoy that, she really would. But as her head clears and consciousness fully finds her again, that pleasant feeling is lost to the realisation that her whole body fucking _hurts_. Oh _God_. Maggie is usually excellent at stoicism, but _fuck_.

She can't help it, she groans.

It is not, at all, the badass and tough image she was going for. But Jesus, it feels as if the life has literally been drained right out of her. She's splayed out on her back in the middle of the goddamn road, but exhaustion is gripping her so entirely, so overwhelming, that she's doubtful she could move even if she wanted to.

"Are you okay?" Alex's eyes latch onto hers. There's genuine concern in her voice. Maggie likes that, but it scares her a little too.

"Did he get away?"

" _Sawyer_."

"I'm fine." She tries to push herself up and can't quite manage it. _Damn_. Alex clearly notices but doesn't comment, allowing Maggie the dignity of holding onto what little pride she has left. It makes Maggie feel just a bit too exposed, makes her wish Alex didn't seem to know her quite so well so soon. "What happened?" she deflects.

Alex tilts her head, conceding. Only for now, Maggie is sure. "Third party got the jump on us. Grabbed our perp and took off."

"His friends?"

"Mmm, don't think so. He didn't seem too happy to go with them." That's apparently all Alex is going to give her, though it's maybe all they know right now, because she shifts again and asks, "Can you sit up?"

Maggie can't, not on her own. She's not prepared to acknowledge that, though. One touch from that ECW and she can hardly move; she's not particularly proud of it. But Alex fits her hands under Maggie's arms and she's strong, so strong. Maggie feels almost like a rag doll as Alex does most of the work in lifting and twisting until Maggie ends up propped against the side of a car. Which makes her feel marginally more in control but also makes her head spin. This is seriously fucking embarrassing, damn it.

"Did you hit your head?"

"No." Her head does hurt, but from the electroshock rather than a physical blow.

Alex takes Maggie's chin with one hand as she peers into her eyes. "Pupils responsive. Are you breathing okay?"

"Fine."

Except that Alex is really, really close, and even through the pain it's hard to breathe steady when her pale pink lips are _right there_. It's much easier when she leans back, dropping her hand from Maggie's chin to press against her chest, and Maggie _swears_ she only shivers because she's overheated and Alex's fingers are cool against her flushed skin.

"And your heartrate is slowing down which is good. Do you want to go to the hospital, though?"

"I'm fine." Maggie does not do well with vulnerability, and she certainly doesn't do well with concern, and right now she would like nothing more than to slink home to lick her wounds and heal her pride. Luck isn't on her side, though, and unfortunately it seems moving is still proving far too difficult.

Alex sighs, clearly exasperated, but her glare is a lot cuter than it is threatening. "You do know what an electronic control weapon does to your body, Sawyer? Hundreds of thousands of vaults that override your nervous system, disrupting the brain's electrical impulses so that your muscles spasm rapidly and uncontrollably until so much of your blood sugar becomes lactic acid that you can barely move and…"

"Yeah, Danvers, this isn't my first rodeo."

Alex rolls her eyes. "Why am I not surprised?" She sounds a little impressed though, and maybe Maggie has recovered some of her badass cred with that. She smirks at Alex and decides to throw in a wink too. Though, maybe she's getting a bit ahead of herself when just that takes enough out of her that she has to close her eyes and rest her head against the car again. Come _on_.

Alex's hand is suddenly on her face, trailing cautiously over Maggie's cheek. It's surprising, sure, but it's nice too. Her touch is soft enough that it's the only thing right now that doesn't hurt. "To knock you out for as long as it did, that had to have been an incredibly powerful weapon," she explains kindly. "Not your standard issue. That's why you feel so bad."

Well, that's something at least. It makes Maggie feel a little bit better about her current position. Not weak, just beat up with a crazy advanced weapon. Though an explanation, regrettably, doesn't change the situation; doesn't suddenly give Maggie the energy to hop up and start looking after herself again.

Alex's hand drops away. Maggie hates that she feels bereft from its loss, hates that her first instinct is to press her fingers to where Alex's were a moment ago. "Are you alright to stay here for a moment?"

"I'm not going anywhere," she jokes weakly.

"Right," Alex says, "I'll be right back," and she darts off. Maggie doesn't even have the energy to watch her go. A genuine shame, she thinks. Her fingers find her gun, holding it weakly against her thigh, and she keeps her eyes open in case the bad guys return, though there's not a lot she could do about it if they did.

Alex is back a few minutes later, kneeling on the ground close next to Maggie, a red Gatorade in one hand and something else in the other. "Here," she says, twisting the cap off the sports drink and handing it over. "The salt will help."

"I like the purple one better," Maggie quips with a smirk, lifting the bottle to her lips. Alex is watching her carefully, as if Maggie is fragile, and it's awful. It makes Maggie feel small, and that is not something she is even marginally okay with. Resting her head back against the car again, she diverts Alex's attention by eyeing the packet in her hand. "What you got there?"

"Ginger chews." Alex holds up the candy. "In case you were feeling nauseous."

Now that she mentions it… Damn. How is she this good? It's seriously unfair, really.

"Thanks."

Alex shrugs, her face serious again. "I'm sorry I got you into this, Sawyer." There's moisture gathering in her eyes, and though Maggie is captivated by how delicate and vulnerable Alex looks right now, she really can't handle it when pretty girls cry.

"Hey." She reaches out to squeeze Alex's shoulder. "It was fun for the most part. I'm always down for kicking bad guy ass. And I'm fine, so no harm no foul."

Alex doesn't look particularly convinced, but Maggie is so, so glad when she doesn't push it any further, just nods once, shortly, and leans back on her heels. "How did you get here?" she asks instead.

"My bike."

Alex frowns. "You're in no shape to ride." She hesitates, biting her lip in a way that transfixes Maggie. "Can I…drive you home?" she asks reluctantly.

Oh. _Oh_. No one else has _ever_ ridden Maggie's bike before, it's something that has always been just hers. But she doesn't have much of a choice. And…she trusts Alex. She trusts her a whole more than she probably should considering how long they've known each other.

"Yeah, okay."

"Thanks," Alex breathes, smiling so softly at Maggie like she knows what it means that she agreed. Maggie thinks, if she has to trust something so precious to her to someone, she's glad it's Alex. And that's…that's way too an intense a thought to be having, really. She's going to blame it on the ECW frying her brain, but that's not exactly all it is.

"I parked around the corner," Maggie offers, handing over the keys and relaying her address when Alex asks.

"You just rest here and I'll come get you in a second." Alex gives her another one of those sweet smiles that Maggie can't get enough off, then she hops up and leaves for the second time. Maggie has the energy to watch her go this time at least, and it's certainly worth the effort.

When Maggie hears a familiar roar she drags herself to her feet, determined to prove herself less frail than she actually feels. Alex stops the bike in front of her but doesn't move to get off to help, once again knowing just what it is that Maggie needs.

"Please don't fall off," she whispers as Maggie settles in behind her.

 _Not a chance_. Alex feels way too good pressed up against her for Maggie to fuck this up. Her thighs tremble with exertion over the strength of her grip, and she wraps her arms around Alex's middle and holds tight. This close, she can feel every move Alex makes; each time her stomach muscles clench then relax, the shifting of her hips, the expert way she leans into a turn.

Maggie isn't used to being on the back of a bike, but she has to admit that, just this once, it's nice to just relax into someone and let them do the work. She tucks her head into Alex's neck and breathes deep. Damn, she smells good; an intoxicating mix of sweat and gunpowder and some sweet smelling shampoo.

The soothing purr of the engine underneath her, the cool wind in her hair and how warm and comfortable Alex feels in her arms…Maggie is drifting; drowsy, peaceful, and safe as Alex manoeuvres her bike gracefully through dark, quiet streets.

Alex pulls into a parking space behind Maggie's building, and for a moment Maggie doesn't move, too content. It's only when Alex squirms a little in her arms that Maggie realises she's practically hugging her without reason now. She hops off the bike quickly, far less nimble than she would have liked in the face of a pretty girl, but it's been a tough night, alright?

"I'll take you up," Alex offers.

"I'm fine." Maggie thinks she would have been far more convincing if she didn't stumble right then. Fucking ECW.

"Sure." Alex swings her long legs over Maggie's bike with the grace and swagger Maggie had been aiming for. So unfair. "Humour me." She slips her arm around Maggie's waist without asking, and of course she's right again, because now that she's standing up Maggie's not too sure she'd make it alone. Man, she is ready for the effects of this to be over, that's for sure.

Alex leads Maggie up to her apartment and into her bedroom. As she sits heavily on her bed, Alex kneels in front of her, hands on her knees. Maggie isn't used to looking down at her, isn't used to her big brown eyes so close. She squeezes Maggie's knees as she asks, "Do you want a shower? Heat might loosen your muscles."

"Honestly I just want to go to bed," Maggie admits. There's a part of her that wants to stay just like this, Alex gazing up at her with her hands so warm over Maggie's skin, her eyes so bright, but the rest of her is just exhausted.

"Alright. I'll get you some water."

As Alex leaves the room, Maggie shrugs out of her jacket, then her shoes and pants, and curls into her bed, pulling the blankets up to her shoulders. It's more intimate than she would perhaps want Alex to see any other day, but she's already been so exposed tonight that it's not adding much more.

Alex pads softly back into Maggie's room, setting a glass of water and some ibuprofen on her bedside table. "You're going to hurt tomorrow. The muscle spasms from the electroshock… I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I'm tough," Maggie mumbles through a yawn.

"Of course you are." Judging by Alex's indulgent smile she doesn't exactly look it, sleepy-eyed and cuddled up under her duvet. "Get some sleep, Sawyer."

All Maggie can manage is a nod. She doesn't even think twice about letting her eyes slide shut with Alex still in her room, knows she's safe with her. The last thing she registers as she drifts off is Alex's soft fingers sifting through her hair; once, twice…


End file.
